Smokin' Texas caviarthis was really good! I followed the recipe exactly and of course everyone in my family thought it was too spicy, but I thought it was perfect! I really like the flavor of black-eyed peas....it was a nice change from regular hummus. (erinmonster)Yum! Very flavorful although not as spicy as I would have liked. Has kind of a dry-ish crumbly texture, so it can be hard to get it to stay on a tortilla chip. Overall, a great way to enjoy black eyed peas. (kristinv)Smooth and sassy guacamoleGood. Pretty basic recipe with avocado, lime juice, tomato, onion, garlic and cumin. She calls for minced canned jalapenos and I used fresh. Instead of mashing she blends everything in a food processor for a nice creamy texture that I liked. I used one huge Florida lower fat avocado and blended the fresh jalapeno at the beginning. (tweety)Spicy hot nuts

Spicy plantain fritters

Soups and StewsCarribbean vegetable stewOk so I was a bit hesitant to make this cause I was like beans, olives, pineapple, and salsa? WTF? But seriously all of these come together and it's an awesome dish. Every time you get a bit of a pineapple chunk it's sweet and you feel like you're eating dessert too. (intheend)Chilled avocado soup

Close to callalooI love me some greens, so this recipe that calls for a bunch of spinach and a bunch of Swiss Chard sounded really appealing. Unfortunately, I found the stew a little bland. Other than salt and pepper, there are no herbs or spices in this recipe which probably would have improve things somewhat. Callaloo is a Caribbean stew, so maybe some Caribbean type flavors in the way of thyme, cayenne, cumin or allspice might have perked things up a bit. (peaceablepalate)Jalapeno soup with tortilla triangles

Spicy corn soup

Spicy vegetable gumbomade it for my daughter with the last of this season's okra a couple of weeks ago and it was so fabulous I had to sneak a cup for myself. The only changes I made were to add some fresh serranos from my plants, a couple of bay leaves, and some Field Roast apple and sage sausage. (storm)Yucatan potato soup

Salads and SidesAvocado and jicama salad with lime dressing

Black bean and corn salad

Cajun coleslaw

Chipotle corn

Island rice saladI thought rice on top of lettuce would be odd but this totally works. The chunks of mango are a refreshing burst of flavor and the sauce that goes on top of the rice is sweet and tangy. (intheend)Lime marinated white bean salad

Mexican fruit salad

Quinoa stuffed avocados

Rice and bean salad with cumin vinaigretteCold salads are one of my favorite things to eat during the summer months, and this one is definitely the best one I've come across thus far. My husband and I often make a meal of this salad on lazy summer days. We don't even bother dishing it out. We just pass the container back and forth until we are thoroughly stuffed! (peaceablepalate)Veracruz potato salad

Main coursesArgentinian inspired seitan cutlets

Baked seitan enchiladas

Barbados style grilled kabobsThese rocked! I used seitan I made from Vegan On The Cheap. I omitted the bell peper cause I hate it. I was hesitant to use the rum because I thought it would be overpowering but it completely cooks out. I wouldn't serve this on top of rice though.. it's very dry even when you do brush it with the excess marinade. (intheend)Wasn't feeling these kebabs. Like the Close to Callaloo recipe, I feel like this recipe could have used more flavor. Other than fresh ginger and red pepper flakes, there was no seasoning in this recipe. I'm thinking that maybe a little cumin, or allspice would give the kebabs more of a Caribbean flavor. Too bland for my taste. (peaceablepalate)Brown rice with creole sauce

Chilean stuffed peppers

Citrus marinated tempeh with sweet potatoes

Grilled vegetable fajitas

Jamaican style picadillo I really liked this, however, I do not recommend adding the almonds....that almost ruined it for me - I guess I don't like crunchy things in my rice. But everything else was awesome! I cheated a little and used a dirty rice mix instead of plain - this way I didn't have to double the spices like I normally do with her recipes. And I didn't have any jamaican curry powder, so I just used regular curry and mixed in some key lime spice - thought that made sense.....but it was good....I will make it again, without almonds! (erinmonster) I made my own curry blend using this recipe: http://www.food.com/recipe/femmes-revenge-caribbean-curry-mix-158082 . I also used a red bell pepper even though I hate them because sometimes I can tolerate them in certain dishes. Well, this was a dish I ended up not liking them in. So if you are a bell pepper hater, heed the warning! Otherwise this was an exotic dish with all the flavors going on. I loved the addition of the raisins. (intheend)Jamaican baked vegetables

Jumpin jambalayaThis is a simple and filling dish. I omitted the bell pepper and it was perfect. (intheend)Quesadillas

Red beans and rice casserole

Red hot white bean chili

Rice with tomatillos and chiles

Seitan fajitas with poblano chilesSimple to make and delicious. I added the lime juice and salsa after the seitan/pepper mix was in the tortilla, also wrapping some lettuce and tomato at the end. Rather than pepper flakes, I sauteed some habanero pepper with the poblano/onion mix. For a lower fat version, could be sauteed in the seitan liquid. (kindnesstoall)Amazingly good! Nice twist from using green peppers. I followed the recipe, but what I think made it good (if I do say so myself) is that I used homemade seitan (the "faux beef" from La Dolce Vegan, my go to book for seitan) and the homemade picante salsa from this same cookbook. I cut back just a tad because I only had six ounces of seitan and wound up eating the entire recipe in two burritos. (tweety)Seitan with tomato orange sauce

Spicy bean and spinach burritosThese were great! Very simple. Had everything I needed in the pantry. (purpledancer)I decided not to drain and rinse the beans but instead refried them. I also used fresh spinach so this ended up being very watery after adding the spinach. It doesn't matter though- this was still tasty and I ended up pouring my salsa on top so it ended up as a wet burrito. (intheend)Pretty good. I did not add optional vegan cheese (since vegan cheeses generally suck). Using the homemade salsa picante is a must for this dish. I did not use frozen spinach but lightly steamed a bag of spinach until it wilted. I wasn't thrilled with her instructions to pulse the beans because I over did it and whole beans would have been just as good. I wasn't sure I'd like the combo of spinach and Mexican food this way, but it was excellent. (tweety)Tacos with salsa fresca

Dressings, Sauces, and CondimentsBorracha sauce

Brazilian lemon chile sauce

Jamaican jerk sauceI chose to use the Jerk Sauce as a marinade for tofu. It was good, but I don't think I like it enough to make it again. (purpledancer)Mole poblano

Salsa fresca

Salsa picanteVery delish basic salsa with tomatoes, fresh jalapeno, cilantro, red vinegar, etc. Since it's a raw dish I cut back on used maybe two tbs of red onion instead of the called for "small onion". This could easily be my "to go to" salsa. (tweety)Texas barbecue sauce

Mediterranean EuropeAppetizersAjvar

Chile Aioli

Peperonata

Spicy Olives

Stuffed Cherry Peppers

Soups and StewsBasque Chickpea Stew

Escarole Soup

Garlic Soup

Gazpacho

Italian Vegetable Ragout

Portugese Spicy Kale Soupexcept I used chard cuz that's what I had. The temperature dropped like a rock yesterday so my daughter asked for soup and this is what she got. I always taste when I'm cooking for her (my little raw cheats) and I thought it was a bit bland so I threw in some thyme and that fixed it right up. (storm)RatatouilleI've prepared this for my daughter twice and she inhales it. Instead of zucchini I used two patty pan squashes and three fresh serrano peppers instead of cayenne powder. It smells awesome....I wish I liked eggplant, but I just don't. She gives it a big thumbs up. (storm)Tuscan White Bean SoupGood. Nothing exciting, just your run of the mill Italian tomato soup. The spice is crushed red pepper and it has fresh basil. I cut back on the broth by one cup to make it more thick and I took her option to add noodles. (tweety)Salads and SidesArtichoke Hearts with Garlic and CapersI thought this was delicious! I used a can of quartered artichoke hearts instead of frozen, added a splash of veggie broth to the lemon juice that it sauteed in, and added a little Chicky Baby Seasoning to the breadcrumbs - the breadcrumbs were an excellent addition! Andy wasn't a huge fan, but he isn't wild about artichokes to begin with. (erinmonster)Arugula Potato Salad

Basque Eggplant Salad

Braised Chickory Salad

Cauliflower with Mustard Dill Sauce

Penne Primavera Salad

Red Pepper and Mushroom Salad with Walnuts

Roasted Catalan Style Vegetables

Roasted Potatoes and Peppers

Spanish Lentils

Spicy Spanish Potatoes I really like the Potatoes and the Spinach. I would make them again for sure. (purpledancer)Svikla

Sweet and Sour Onions and Zucchini

Main CoursesFarsia Intchauspe

Italian Easter Pie

Majorcan Baked Vegetables

Pasta Puttanesca

Penne Arrabbiata

Tempeh CacciatoreGood. Pretty basic recipe with tomatoes, oregano and veggies and lots of crushed red pepper. I steamed the tempeh for 10 minutes because that's plenty of time in my experience. I did not fry the tempeh ahead of time in the oil because in my experience tempeh always abosorbs all the oil and I would have needed more to sautee the veggies, so the last two minutes of sauteeing the veggies I sauteed the tempeh. I did not have any parsley but I did have some basil and added that at the end. (tweety)Vegetables and Chickpeas with Romesco Sauce

Vegan PaellaHuge disclaimer: The serving size for this is more around 10 than 6 and that's with it being the main dish so halve it if you don't want that much. Anyway, it was really good and even the tempeh in here couldn't ruin this dish for me, it completely blends in. I used seitan and sausages but next time I would just use the sausages and substitute the seitan for kidney beans like she suggests. What's also awesome about this dish is that it's made in one pot. (intheend)Ziti with Fresh Tomatoes and Olives

Cold salads are one of my favorite things to eat during the summer months, and this one is definitely the best one I've come across thus far. My husband and I often make a meal of this salad on lazy summer days. We don't even bother dishing it out. We just pass the container back and forth until we are thoroughly stuffed!

Close to Callaloo

I love me some greens, so this recipe that calls for a bunch of spinach and a bunch of Swiss Chard sounded really appealing. Unfortunately, I found the stew a little bland. Other than salt and pepper, there are no herbs or spices in this recipe which probably would have improve things somewhat. Callaloo is a Caribbean stew, so maybe some Caribbean type flavors in the way of thyme, cayenne, cumin or allspice might have perked things up a bit.

Barbados-Style Grilled Kebabs

Wasn't feeling these kebabs. Like the Close to Callaloo recipe, I feel like this recipe could have used more flavor. Other than fresh ginger and red pepper flakes, there was no seasoning in this recipe. I'm thinking that maybe a little cumin, or allspice would give the kebabs more of a Caribbean flavor. Too bland for my taste.

Saag

Good basic saag recipe. Easy to make, and just the right amount of seasoning.

Indonesian Coconut Rice

I don't make this rice nearly as often as I would like to eat it! It's my favorite "fancy rice" to make whenever I have time to do rice up special! Great spice combination, and I love the sweetness of the coconut.

Vietnamese Noodles with Tempeh and Peanuts

I always forget about this recipe, because I tend to go for the slightly easier Vietnamese Noodles recipe from " Moosewood Simple Suppers". The truth is that the Moosewood version calls for the optional addition of coconut milk and peanut butter, and I'm a sucker for all that fat! Robin's version is quite yummy though and I would probably make it more often, if only I could remember to keep a jar of hoisin sauce around.

Szechuan Vegetables

I made this once, and thought it came out really well. I would make it more often, except that it calls for dry sherry, an ingredient I rarely have on hand. Actually, I never have it on hand, unless I'm making Szechuan Vegetables. Also, I found that the recipe didn't produce a heck of a lot of food, on account that Napa cabbage tends to shrink up when cooking. I think I would double the amount of cabbage if I were to make this again.

Vindaloo Vegetables

I haven't made this in quite a long time, but my memory of it was that it had kind of a sour thing going on. The recipe calls for a tablespoon of cider vinegar which isn't a lot I suppose but the vinegar seemed prominent to me in a way that wasn't bad necessarily, but not exactly to my liking either. Maybe I'd try this one again, and leave the vinegar out.

My pleasure! I'm so glad I found this site! I have so many cookbooks, and deciding which recipes to try is always a bit overwhelming. So it's great to see what other people have tried, and what they've liked and disliked. I'm feeling inspired to try something new now!

Moroccan Spiced Carrots - Quick, easy to make and very tasty. I omitted the sugar and forgot the parsley.

North African Pumpkin Stew - Very good. I used acorn squash and enjoyed all the cominbation of spices. I had more than the called for squash so I didn't drain the diced tomatoes as she suggested, so I'd have more sauce. I used 1/2 tablespoon of brown sugar instead of one full tbs. I used red beans instead of kidney.

Five spice tempeh - Didn't do much for me. It's o.k. but just a notch above "meh". Not sure if there's anything specific I could have done. I think it's just not my taste.

South African green beans - Knowing that Indian cuisine is very much a part of South African cuisine, I would call this Indian since it has ginger and curry powder. Very good!

Spicy peanut tomato salad - Rocked the taste buds, I loved this. The tomato and lime along with the peanut butter was a great combination. I used crunch peanut butter and no garnish of crushed peanuts.

Turkish red pepper-walnut spread - Excellent. Mine came out a little on the loose side, but thicken a bit with refrigeration. I did not use jarred and used two large red bell peppers that I roasted myself, which could account for the thinnes, but still it clung to crackers nicely and was very tasty

Red hot chile tofu - I had a sense of deja vu making this, but didn't mark my cookbook that I made this and now I notice I did review it once. 2nd review is just as good. This has everything I love, tofu, chili pepper, garlic and ginger. I omitted the sugar (what's the point?) and used sambal oelek for the chili sauce. Freakin' rocked!

Ratatouille: I've prepared this for my daughter twice and she inhales it. Instead of zucchini I used two patty pan squashes and three fresh serrano peppers instead of cayenne powder. It smells awesome....I wish I liked eggplant, but I just don't. She gives it a big thumbs up.http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii85/Stormflakes/VegWeb/048.jpg

I had some cucumbers from my garden and was looking to incorporate them into some kind of salad that I could take to a family get together. This recipe turned out to be the perfect thing! A nice balance of flavors here, and so simple to make! The only thing I did differently was to add some chopped red bell pepper for color. Yum!

Smokin' Texas CaviarYum! Very flavorful although not as spicy as I would have liked. Has kind of a dry-ish crumbly texture, so it can be hard to get it to stay on a tortilla chip. Overall, a great way to enjoy black eyed peas. (kristinv)

Smooth and sassy guacamole - Good. Pretty basic recipe with avocado, lime juice, tomato, onion, garlic and cumin. She calls for minced canned jalapenos and I used fresh. Instead of mashing she blends everything in a food processor for a nice creamy texture that I liked. I used one huge Florida lower fat avocado and blended the fresh jalapeno at the beginning.

Ginger broccoli - Deja vu feeling with this, but I've probably made it many times using similar recipes, or I made this one and didn't mark my book that I left a review. Anyway, it's a pretty good and basic Asian dish...broccoli stir fried (not steamed or blanced which kept the crunch like I like), ginger, garlic, sesame oil, scallion, and crushed red pepper. Loved it. (Picture along with the noodle soup in Vegan On the Cheap thread)

Ginger broccoli - Deja vu feeling with this, but I've probably made it many times using similar recipes, or I made this one and didn't mark my book that I left a review. Anyway, it's a pretty good and basic Asian dish...broccoli stir fried (not steamed or blanced which kept the crunch like I like), ginger, garlic, sesame oil, scallion, and crushed red pepper. Loved it. (Picture along with the noodle soup in Vegan On the Cheap thread)

You did make it before! You need to check the reviews BEFORE making recipes, tweets. ;)

Salsa picante - Very delish basic salsa with tomatoes, fresh jalapeno, cilantro, red vinegar, etc. Since it's a raw dish I cut back on used maybe two tbs of red onion instead of the called for "small onion". This could easily be my "to go to" salsa.

Spicy bean and spinach burritos - Pretty good. I did not add optional vegan cheese (since vegan cheeses generally suck). Using the homemade salsa picante is a must for this dish. I did not use frozen spinach but lightly steamed a bag of spinach until it wilted. I wasn't thrilled with her instructions to pulse the beans because I over did it and whole beans would have been just as good. I wasn't sure I'd like the combo of spinach and Mexican food this way, but it was excellent.

Seitan fajitas with poblano chiles - Amazingly good! Nice twist from using green peppers. I followed the recipe, but what I think made it good (if I do say so myself) is that I used homemade seitan (the "faux beef" from La Dolce Vegan, my go to book for seitan) and the homemade picante salsa from this same cookbook. I cut back just a tad because I only had six ounces of seitan and wound up eating the entire recipe in two burritos.

Chickpea and green bean curry - Very nice mix of flavors that is not necessarily unique but good. I used unsweetened almond milk instead of soy milk and I cut down on the cooking time because I like green beans with a little crunch.

Szechuan cabbage - Very good salad that mixes nappa cabbage and carrots with a nice vinegar based dressing that includes rice vinegar, sugar, ginger, hot chile oil and sesame oil cooked for two minutes. I was tempted to add soy sauce but stayed true to the recipe. It tasted good cold.

Tamari Vinaigrette -- Basic vinaigrette with an Asian flare that was good massaged into raw kale. it has canola oil, tamari, rice wine vinegar, dark sesame oil and hot red pepper flakes for the spice.

Vietnamese noodles with tempeh and peanuts - Very yummy! I nice combination of noodles and Asian spices that was real good. I didn't have enough peanuts so mixed in some raw cashews and that was good. Didn't have cilantro and used a bit of flat leaf parsley for color but cilantro would have been so much better.

Tuscan White Bean Soup - Good. Nothing exciting, just your run of the mill Italian tomato soup. The spice is crushed red pepper and it has fresh basil. I cut back on the broth by one cup to make it more thick and I took her option to add noodles.